The Cabinet Office is currently looking into the proposed plan to increase the number of days for self-certified sick leave from seven days to 14 days, as a measure to provide relief to the victims of swine flu. However, implementation of this plan will take place only if the number of reported cases in the
The Civil Contingency Committee of the Government is reviewing the plans and is drafting the outline to be tabled before the Parliament. These regulations are only effective for a period of six months unless there is reason to believe that the time limit should be increased.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has assured the employers of various firms that they did not have to be apprehensive of these new plans being contemplated by the Department for Work and Pensions.
CIPD Senior Public Policy Adviser Ben Willlmott said that the plans to provide more time to employees with a possible swine flu infection was a practical measure and was short term. The prime reason was to help healthcare professionals and prevent the spread of the infection. He also said that though there would be a problem of fake sick leaves, this would only be in a few cases. However, the main issue was for employers to juggle and get work done in the absence of those genuinely ill workers and if this were possible then employers should not worry.
According to a spokesperson for the Department of Work and Pensions, the rationale behind the move was to ensure that sick workers took ample rest and did not feel pressurized into attending office.
